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Monday, March 17, 2014

Vår. Spring.

My dearies,

The Yasavolian Family at the Stockholm Temple!

This week was a blast. We went to Stockholm for a Zone conference where we received the Iphone 5C. #wootwoot! It has been the biggest blessing. But I kind of miss the old school looking at maps and trying to act out words in lessons instead of using google translate. hehehohhaha. We also went to Stockholm on Friday to do baptisms for the dead with the Yasavolian family! There were seven of them- all doing it for the first time. It was a very spiritual experience for all of us. We managed to get a large van to pick them up and drive them to Stockholm. Special thanks to President Newell who allowed it and the Tolley's, who drove them. It was my first time seeing the Stockholm Temple and it was BEAUTIFUL! It was so much smaller than I thought it would be! But I loved it.

i don't think i've ever seen swedes sit so close together.

We went over to Cats this week and we were sitting on her couch just chatting... and she looks at us and says, "I need you to do me a favor... cut my hair." And she pulled out these little elementry school scissors HAHAHA. It was so hilarious. Sister Lafontaine just put it in a pony tail and cut it off and it was so jagged. So I tried cleaning it up a little bit, but it was a fail. And right after we finished she said her hair takes a long time to grow hah- oops. But she said that she loves it and even if she doesn't - I feel for her. My hair... afölskdfjaölskdjf. I asked Cat what her favorite meal was and she said "hmmm...... POK CHORPS.... i mean PORK CHOPS." Hahaha. Okay I'm done with Cat stories but I really just want you to meet her.

Stockholm Temple

While teaching our investigator Nour this week, she got a little choked up and said "I just love you girls- you really know what is important in life and I love how you dress. How can I get my two baby girls to be just like you?" Nour is from Syria and she is here with her husband and twin little girls. She is Muslim but she is open and willing to listen and discuss. It is so interesting to teach so many different people with different beliefs. We teach Athiests, Muslims, Budhists, Christians etc. And I think by now I understand each religion. I know before hand what concerns they will have and what they believe. This week we listened to two Muslims bear strong testimony in what they believe and that we were wrong. It was interesting to say the least but also pretty normal because we get that from somebody at least once a week.

The night that we taught Nour, we shared the Plan of Salvation with her and she was a little confused about how the Atonement works. She kept asking how someone who has made a lot of mistakes would be able to make it to the Celestial Kingdom, along with the people who tried their very hardest to get there their whole lives. I thought to myself... "good point!" (just kidding). But really I thought "I am so grateful that I don't need to be the judge." And I don't really know exactly how it will all work out but I do know that when we are judged at the end of our lives, it is going to be so personal.

I love the parable of The Talents in Matthew 25 because it shows us that we will be judged on an individual basis. We are all given different trials and different talents, we sin differently and we learn differently. I believe that it really won't matter in the end which trials we went through, talents we had, or sins we committed. Our job is the HOW. (what I mentioned last week). President Newell said to me once, "It does not matter what the sin is. For the unkind person will not be in the celestial kingdom either." What matters is how we overcome that sin- how sincerely we repented, and how we tried to be better. It does not matter if I have 2 talents and you have 7, what matters is how we use them. I loved the statement in Gregg Christensens talk that you sent me when he mentions this parable... He said "We all have to work out our own salvation." This is what the gospel is about- individually trying to make it through our own personal lives. And luckily we have the atonement, to personally help us through.

Stockholm Temple

It says in the talk that you sent me about the Currant Bush that "God knows who he wants us to become." He knows that each of us can and cannot handle certain things. The trials that we face help us grow and the talents we are given help us accomplish. I have been thinking a lot about my individual family members as I write this. Each of you have been given challenges- it is so amazing for me to see, though, HOW each of you climb the mountain that you are faced with. This week more than ever, I have been thinking of my little Lillie. She has so much strength. She is so beautiful. She works everyday to find happiness and enjoy the little things. She has patience and humility. She is so much like our Savior- and yet she has a challenge that is hard for any of us to comprehend. She and I will be judged very differently. (scary for me) :).

This gospel takes humility, patience, and strength. But we are given so many blessings. We are given a perfect plan that will help us get to the point where we can stand in front of our Master to be judged justly but so mercifully. And to be ready to enter into his presence so that we can enjoy eternal life.

Syster Missionaries

Nana and Papa sent me a wonderful letter this week!! THANK YOU! I loved Papa's analogy that she shared with me. I know that mom and dad have also mentioned it. In his analogy he compares winter, spring, summer and fall to trials, opportunities, blessings, and lessons learned. Each year we go through the same process. In the winter there are hard times and trials, spring comes with opportunities to believe again and become refreshed. Summer is a time to appreciate the blessings that come with hard work and effort and fall is when we harvest what we have learned from through the process. They said "The key is to endure the new trial more easily each time we go through the process." In other words it is the HOW. How we are enduring, learning, repenting, trying, working, succeeding. The how is what helps us become like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Syster Christensen and LaFontaine

We have snow on the ground and gray skies but I am hopeful for sun soon! It is the beauty of spring... you never know what weather you're gonna get. (except for now we do because we can look on our Iphones ;) ) I am grateful for the seasons and the journey that I have gone through on my mission. There have been many trials, but with each trial I have found opportunities and blessings. I feel like I am truly learning what Heavenly Father wants me to learn so that I can become who he wants me to become.

Crew who is amber and mikes baby. I LOVE HIM. We visited them while we
were in stockholm :) He is not too fond of me in these pictures hahaha

As for the work, we are so blessed everyday. It's moving slowly but surely and I have nothing to complain about. We are surrounded by wonderful unique people everyday in this tiny city that I could walk through with my eyes closed. But it is my home for now and I love it.

I love all of you. so so so much. Love adelidieloulielou.

I love you and I am so grateful for your letters!! what you said about lillie dad, made me cry! I have been missing her pretty bad lately. tell her i love her.